Buy my New System New or Secondhand

[emptage]

I have now decided on the audition list for my new system. Thanks to everyone who who contributed to my original post asking for suggestions. http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/new-speakers-and-amp The audition list will be Speakers KEF Q300 My original choice based on reading reviews and forum comments Dynaudio 2/6 MS RX1 Amps Brio R Marantz PM6003 Rotel 04SE I have discounted the Yamaha AS500 and NAD 326BEE as they won't give the sound I am looking for. The maximum budget is about £450 each for amp and speakers. I will buy the speakers first and then buy the amp. I then started thinking about buying secondhand and saw on ebay that a pair of KEFQ300's had gone for £270, a Creek Evo 1 went for £350, a Brio 3 was available for £150 including 6 mth warranty and Marantz PM6003's go for about £150. Am I likely to get a better amp by buying a secondhand, perhps not the latest model , of a more expensive amp rather than the latest model of a budget amp. Also what am I going to get by spending £150 on a Brio 3 compared to £480 on a Brio R ? I would be interested in views

 

[Lo Fi]

I never buy used prefer to have brand new with full dealer and manufacturers guarantee and of course latest equipment when I do buy every few years. But I know others do.

This is something you have to decide yourself.

 

[Sizzers]

I don't like buying "old" (but have done!), but you can get some seriously good ex-dem deals on places such as BADA Market Place or Seven Oaks' "Clearance" section, for example.

You can guarantee they've not been abused and come with full warranty.

 

[noogle]

I'd vote for buying secondhand. You will get much better sound quality for your budget. Also, the gear you buy will have already had the biggest chunk of depreciation so you will lose little if any if you don't get on with it and want to re-sell.

I've never heard the Brio amps but doubt having the latest version is worth paying 3X the price.

 

[lindsayt]

2nd hand. Always. Always for major components. Apart from some cartridges where the 2nd hand prices are too high compared to new when you bear in mind the consumable nature of these items.

For lower budgets you get so much more for your money.

At no expense spared, billionaire budgets, many of the best hi-fi components ever made are no longer in production.

 

[Anonymous]

Bought my first hifi new in 1990, but the stuff in my sig is all second hand or ex-demo from a dealer (the same one)...CD player, amps and speakers. I simply can't afford the quality of hifi I want buying new; I mean the Wadia 861 or new equivalent is £8k-£10k, the amps are about £6k and speakers less. I did look at upgrading the speakers recently and thought about a pair of Wilson WaTT/puppy series 6, new the equivalents are £28k and they were going for about £6k. 'Nuff said I think.